It is well known in the art to provide a foamed cushion on carpeting and other fabrics, and to create a pad of polyurethane to be used as a separate cushion for carpeting and the like. It is also known in the art to deposit the components for forming a polyurethane onto a belt or the like, allowing the components to react to form a foamed polyurethane, and to adhere a carpet to the foam while the foam is in its tacky state prior to curing. A principal difficulty in many of the prior art systems is in the provision of means for causing the foamed polyurethane to release from the belt. Elaborate apparatus is frequently required, and the use of release agents may be utilized to allow the release.
In at least one of the prior art systems for providing the polyurethane backing for carpeting, the polyurethane components are deposited on a belt, the foaming is initiated, and the polyurethane is partially blown when the carpeting is placed against the material. The carpeting then applies its own weight, and sometimes additional weight is applied, to hold the material down during the blowing of the polyurethane material. As a result, the full blow by the polyurethane system is not allowed, and of course the additional apparatus is required for pressing the carpet against the polyurethane material during the blowing.